Despair of the Heart
by Deana
Summary: The wrong place at the wrong time—a phrase that takes on a whole new meaning for Frank Donovan as the team's new case becomes unexpectedly—and terribly—personal.
1. Crisis

Despair of the Heart

A UC story by Deana Lisi

Disclaimer: I don't own Frank Donovan or anyone else on his team, but I do own the original characters. Thanks to Karri for a cool idea she gave me, and thanks to her and Ruse for helping me figure out a title and summary for this story…I dunno what it is, my brain refused to work! LOL

As Frank walked into the Nest, he could literally feel tension in the air. Quickening his steps, he wondered what kind of new case his team had been dealt. They'd had a slow week, and the higher-ups had told him that they might have something new for them. If he was right, they'd apparently held to their word. 

Walking into the main room, he spied the other four members of his unit quietly sitting at the table, awaiting him. "Good morning."

"Mornin'," four voices answered. They didn't sound very happy.

"I take it the new case came in," said Frank, walking towards the coffeemaker.

"Yeah, Frank," said Jake.

Frank deliberately prevented himself from showing unease at Jake's tone. He was their leader; he had to be strong for their sake. "What does it entail?" he asked.

"It's a kidnapping," said Alex.

"Who's the victim?" Frank asked, picking up the coffee pot.

Silence followed for a few seconds, before Monica—being the brave one—stood from her chair and made her way over to him.

"Frank," she said, softly. "The victim is Alanur Bay."

That was the last thing Frank expected to hear, and he missed the coffee mug, spilling the scalding coffee all over his arm and hand. 

Monica gasped, grabbing the pot and setting it down. 

The others stood when they saw what happened, and Alex ran over, to where Monica was gripping Frank's arm, pushing his sleeve up so she could see how badly he'd burned himself.

Frank was hardly aware of any of it. _My mother has been kidnapped! Kidnapped! She's in the hands of a possible psycho! What is he doing to her? What has he already done to her? Suddenly he realized that he was being pulled towards the kitchen, where Alex turned on the water and Monica stuck his arm under it. _

The cold water on his burning skin brought him back to reality, and he stood there, only now noticing the bright red discoloration over his left hand and forearm. The sleeve of his black shirt was soggy, and he was fleetingly glad that it was made out of cotton. _Who cares about a shirt! My mother is missing…she could be dead! My father* and my fiancée** were murdered…will my mother be too?_

Focused on Frank's burns, the two women didn't yet see the emotional anguish in his face. 

"How does it feel now, Frank?" Alex asked a minute later. 

He didn't answer, and she looked at him to see his eyes closed, his expression grief-stricken. 

Sighing, Alex grabbed a towel from the drawer and soaked it, wrapping it around Frank's arm and hand as Monica shut off the water. 

"Frank?" Alex said.

Frank finally opened his eyes, his expression changing into an unreadable one when he realized that they were watching him. 

Turning to leave the kitchen, they saw Jake and Cody standing in the doorway. They were worried about their boss too, knowing how he'd tragically lost his father when he was only sixteen…finding his bloody, dead body, his young mind then suppressing the memory for years to come. 

They all desperately hoped that this case wouldn't end with the loss of his mother. 

Jake and Cody stood aside as Frank left the kitchen, seemingly on autopilot as he headed towards the table. 

"I'll get the first aid kit," said Cody, running off.

The others followed Frank, sitting in the seats closest to his. 

"Details," Frank said, scrubbing his good hand over his face.

Monica sighed, picking up a file. "The kidnapper's name is Andrew Harris. American, 40 years old. He's been suspected in a mass of kidnappings that happened all over the Midwest, but the police never found any proof other than the fact that he was a new acquaintance of each missing person." She flipped through the papers. "The victims were all female, ranging in ages from 5 to 40...until now."

Cody suddenly came running back in, carrying a huge plastic box. He brought it over to the table and sat it down, yielding it to Alex, who immediately opened it. 

"What happened to my mother?" Frank asked, his voice sounding strained. 

Monica closed the file, with a sigh. "The police finally obtained a warrant for Harris' arrest, after they finally found enough proof to implicate him in one of the kidnappings. An officer spotted his car and they followed him to a convenience store. When they walked in to arrest him, he grabbed the person who was in line in front of him…"

"My mother," Frank said, as Alex unwrapped the wet towel from his arm.

Monica nodded.

"Did he…hurt her?" Frank asked, afraid of the answer.

Monica shook her head. "He used her against the cops, and pulled her out of the store with him. The cops made chase…but he somehow got away." 

Frank clenched his fists, wincing when his left hand protested the movement. 

"Hold still," Alex chided him, slathering burn cream on his skin.

The cream felt cold and tingly, and it only served to irritate Frank more then he already was. He opened his mouth to tell Alex to stop, that it wasn't bad, but when he looked at his arm, he changed his mind. Their coffee maker was known for making coffee hotter then it should be. He realized that when his shock over the situation wore off, he'd really feel just how badly he'd gotten burned.

Something suddenly struck him. "Where was she kidnapped from?"

Monica opened the folder again. "Chicago."

Frank closed his eyes. He didn't even know that his mother was in town. She wasn't due back from Egypt until the next day. "When did this happen?"

"Last week."

Frank jumped to his feet. "LAST WEEK?! This madman has had her for a WEEK?!"

The girls both stood. "Calm down, Frank!" Monica exclaimed.

Frank leaned his right hand on the table, again closing his eyes. _When someone is missing for that long, they usually aren't found alive!_

Someone was tugging on his arm, and he all but collapsed back into his chair, his legs not wanting to support his body. _She could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere right now…_

Everyone silently watched him, not knowing what to say. They were sure that if they spoke, Frank probably wouldn't hear them anyway.

Alex finished wrapping gauze around Frank's hand and arm, gently laying it in his lap rather then on the hard table. 

"What I'd like to know," said Cody, softly, as if expecting Frank to flip out at the sound of his voice. "Is why the FBI gave you a case that's so personal?"

Frank sighed, closing his eyes. "They don't know she's my mother. That's the only explanation."

Everyone nodded, knowing that the FBI would've never given him this case if they knew Frank and Alanur's relationship.

"And I want it to _stay_ that way," Frank said, fixing his team with a glare. 

Everyone nodded, each of them secretly thinking that Frank wasn't emotionally fit to handle the case, but knowing that voicing that opinion could get them into very deep trouble. 

"Was Harris armed?" Frank asked.

Monica had hoped that Frank wouldn't ask that. "Yes, he had a gun."

Frank said nothing, trying to revert himself back to his usual not-openly-reacting self. "Why did the FBI wait a week to give us this case?!" he suddenly realized.

Monica opened the file again. "Someone else was working on it…Agent Ted Johnson. Do you know him? He'd been tracking Harris for a while, before suddenly disappearing."

"Ted Johnson…" Frank tried to remember the name. "I've seen him a few times. When did he disappear?"

"He last had contact with the Bureau on Thursday."

_The day before they informed me we might be getting a new case, _Frank realized. "He may've found Harris…"

"And was either kidnapped himself, or killed," said Jake, regretting his statement after he said it.

Frank was silent, and the four of them watched him intently. Though he fought to keep his expression normal, they could see the fear and grief for his mother in his eyes. 

"Our course of action," said Alex. "Should be in finding out where Johnson was the last time he was heard from."

Everyone nodded.

"Do we have that information, Monica?"

Monica shrugged. "In a way. He'd gotten some kind of tip regarding a warehouse. Where, he didn't say."

Frank sighed. It was always an unknown warehouse. "Are there pictures of Harris and Johnson in your file?"

Monica nodded. 

"Make copies. We'll need to ask around…" he suddenly stopped, reaching towards the folder.

Monica pushed it closer to him, watching sadly as Frank flipped through it, finding what he knew was there.

A picture of his mother. 

Alanur looked quite young for her age, and Frank wondered where the FBI had obtained the picture from. She was smiling, her long, wavy black hair cascading around her shoulders and down her back. She'd gotten the curls from her father…

Everyone startled when Frank suddenly slammed the folder onto the table, frowning when they saw his face change. 

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"My grandfather…" was all Frank said.

Everyone sighed. Ardeth Bay was very old, nearly 101. News of his daughter's kidnapping and possible death would surely kill him.

"I doubt he knows about this, Frank," said Alex, desperately hoping that it was true.

Frank turned the picture around, quickly reading the info on the back. 

_Alanur Bay _

_Ethnicity: Egyptian _

_Address: unknown, possibly somewhere in Egypt _

_Next of kin: unknown_

Frank sighed with relief. The Med-jai tribe was still so secretive that even the FBI didn't know about it. "Take these pictures on the road and question people; informants, business, everyone, especially if their located near a warehouse. Make extras, Cody, we're _all_ in on this one."

Everyone nodded, and Cody took the pictures from Frank, quickly running over to his precious equipment. 

As they waited, no one spoke, each of them watching Frank worriedly.

Frank didn't acknowledge their looks, staring down at the tabletop. He was in the middle of one of the worst crises imaginable, and he honestly didn't know how he would deal with it. _He's had my mother for an entire week…is she still alive?_

* 'Déjà Vu' : storyid=1064408

** 'Till Death Do Us Part' : storyid=1205322


	2. Don't Lose Your Head!

Hey everyone! There's a scene in this chapter that might be rated R…it's pretty gross. You've been warned, lol! ;) Thanks for the reviews…gimme more, lol! I've been kinda depressed this week and need something to make me happy…and your reviews do it! :)

While Cody made copies of Alanur, Harris, and Agent Johnson's pictures, the others sat quietly, watching Frank, who stared at nothing, obviously still shocked over the horrible situation.

When Cody came back and handed the pictures out, he gave Frank the originals.

"Any particular areas you want us to concentrate on?" Jake asked.

"Scour this entire city," Frank told them, standing. "I want everyone to split up."

They all nodded, following him out the door to their cars. 

As Frank pulled onto the road, he tried to shut his mind off from thinking too much, knowing that he'd never be able to put all his effort into the investigation if he didn't. Trying to figure out the best place to start his search, he remembered the address of the convenience store that his mother had been kidnapped from and headed in that direction. 

Pulling up a few minutes later, he got out of his Volvo and looked at the sidewalk, surveying his surroundings for clues. Finding none, he went inside.

"Can I help you?" the young man at the counter asked.

Frank nodded, taking out his badge. "Frank Donovan from the Justice Dept. Were you here last week when this woman was taken from the store?" he asked, holding up the picture.

The young man's eyes grew huge. "Yeah! It was me here, that day! That lady was at the counter and some guy came in and got in line behind her and then the cops busted in and tried to arrest him but he grabbed the lady and used her as like a shield or something and he put a gun to her head and everything!!"

Frank blinked, trying to make sense of the kid's very long sentence that he'd somehow manage to say all on one breath. "Do you remember anything he said that might help us find them?"

The kid said nothing for a minute, thinking. "No…the cops came in and said 'Hey you you're under arrest' except they didn't say 'hey you' they called him by his real name and stuff and he grabbed the lady faster than I could blink and the cops didn't get a chance to grab him first and then he threatened to kill the lady if the cops came near him and the lady tried to get away and the guy stuck the gun against her head and pulled her out of the store and OH YEAH the guy told the cops that if they follow him he'd shoot the lady and then he threw her in his car and left real fast. His tires spun and everything!"

If the situation hadn't been so dire, Frank might be tempted to laugh at this kid's way of speaking. "Do you know what direction they went in?"

The kid thought for a minute before pointing. "Yeah they went that way but I don't know exactly where I mean all I could do was watch them leave and wonder what would happen to the poor lady who was really nice by the way real pretty for her age she sure doesn't look as old as I guess she really is."

Frank frowned. "What do you mean? Did she say anything to you?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah we were talking before the guy came in I was telling her I'm working here to save money for college I want to be a cop and she told me her son is a cop and I was like oh wow and she said he's been a cop for a long time and then the guy came in and kidnapped her and I can't believe she's old enough to have a son who's been a cop for a long time hey how long have YOU been a cop?"

Frank almost didn't catch his question. "For as long as her son has," he said, with a sigh, surprised that he was disclosing such info to this hyper kid.

The kid's eyes widened. "Really you know her son hey wait a minute are you him you look like her are you her son oh wow how cool but OH NO that guy kidnapped your mother what are you gonna do?"

Frank looked at this kid who someday might be working on a similar case, for all he knew. "I'm going to find her," he said. 

********************

For the next few hours, the entire team searched the city for any information regarding Alanur Bay, her kidnapper, or the missing FBI agent…Jake was the one who struck gold.

_*ring*_

Frank quickly picked up his cell phone. "Find something?"

"Looks like it," said Jake. "You know the Italian deli near the supermarket?"

"Yeah."

"The owner said that Johnson was in here last Thursday, asking if he'd seen Harris."

_The last day that Johnson was confirmed alive! _Adrenaline started pumping through Frank's veins at warp speed, and he ran to his car. "Is there a warehouse near there?"

"Yup," said Jake. 

"Do not—I repeat—do NOT go inside it," said Frank. "Wait for me."

"I will."

Starting his Volvo, Frank floored it, unintentionally peeling out and startling a young mother who was walking with her children. 

The drive seemed to take forever, but he finally arrived at the deli, to find Alex standing with Jake.

"I didn't bother calling Cody or Monica," said Jake. "In case this turns out to be a dead end, they might as well keep looking."

Frank nodded, saying nothing as they all got into Jake's TrailBlazer.

Pulling up at the warehouse a couple of minutes later, they cautiously got out, walking around it to search for clues before going in. The only thing out of the ordinary was that the door had no lock on it, and the three of them silently slipped inside.

Not a sound could be heard as Frank quietly slinked his way through the warehouse; gun drawn, alert for any sound.

_*thump*_

Frank turned to the right, making his way towards a door. Standing outside it, he put his ear close, and heard another sound from inside that he couldn't identify. 

Standing back, he kicked in the door and entered, pointing his gun. A horrible smell immediately assaulted him, and what he saw in that room shocked him more then anything he'd ever seen in his life.

There was a body lying on the floor, covered in more blood than Frank thought possible. But that wasn't what nearly made him sick…

The body was headless. 

Frank broke out in a cold sweat when he spotted the head, sitting five feet away from it…or rather, what _remained_ of the head. The sounds he'd heard had come from rats, who were devouring the corpse, one of them eating out the dead man's left eye, while its lifeless right eye seemingly stared directly at him...

********************

"Frank?" Jake stopped walking, when he heard what sounded like a gasp of shock over his earpiece. 

He got no reply.

"Frank?" he said again. 

Nothing.

"Alex?"

"I'm here!" she said, a knot growing in her stomach at the implications of their boss' silence. "Where is he?"

Jake turned around, heading in the way he'd come. "Still downstairs I think."

"Right!"

Jake ran down the steps, not caring that he was making too much noise. Turning the corner at the bottom, he hurriedly tried to pick a direction. Going left, he ran down a hall and skidded to a stop when he saw Frank leaning against the wall.

"Frank?" he said, rushing over. "Are you all right?"

Frank looked up, seeming startled at his sudden appearance. Jake was shocked to see his face white as a sheet and looking green at the same time.

"What is it?" Jake asked. "What happened?"

Frank pushed himself away from the wall, but before he could answer, the sound of boot heels alerted them that Alex was coming, and she ran towards them.

"What happened?!" she repeated Jake's words.

Frank gestured to the door. "I found a body."

Jake and Alex looked at the door and Jake immediately grabbed the handle.

"NO!" Frank practically yelled. "Don't go in there!" 

Alex and Jake both looked at him, stunned to hear the alarm in Frank's voice. 

"For your own good, you can't go in there." Taking a deep breath, Frank let it out slowly. "Call the coroner, tell them we have a…decapitation."

Alex grimaced, looking at Jake. 

Jake let go of the doorknob, knowing by Frank's reaction that it had to be an extremely gruesome scene. 

"I think you could use some air," Alex said gently, seeing Frank's face still looking green.

Frank shook his head. "I'm fine." 

Alex and Jake shot each other a look. They'd adopted the phrase, 'Man of Steel' for their boss, but they knew that something like this couldn't be easily shaken off by _anyone_, not even Frank.


	3. Headless Bodies and Pizza Don't Mix

The coroner arrived, along with Chicago PD's Chief Morgan.

"Hey Frank," said Morgan, with a sigh. He knew that his friend had discovered the headless, rat-eaten body, and he wondered how it had affected him. He considered Frank to be the strongest person he knew, emotionally and mentally, but he _was_ human, a fact more easily remembered at the sight of the greenish tinge still remaining in his face. 

Alex had finally managed to get Frank to go outside, knowing that the fresh air would do him good. 

Frank had only agreed in an attempt to make sure that Alex and Jake didn't go into that room. He knew that the smell alone—nevermind the body itself—would be enough to make them both violently sick. He suddenly realized that the Chief had been talking to him. "What?"

Morgan wasn't surprised that Frank hadn't heard a word that he'd said. "I asked if you're all right."

"Of course," Frank answered, too quickly.

Morgan stepped back as a gurney was wheeled into the warehouse. He wanted to ask Frank for a description of the dead man, but with the circumstances, he didn't wish to make his friend recall _anything about the body. Seeing the bandage circling Frank's left hand and disappearing up his sleeve, he was concerned; but relieved that he had something to talk about, rather that the two of them standing in an uncomfortable silence. "What happened to you?"_

"Coffee burn," Frank answered, sighing as he remembered the reason for the injury. 

Jake and Alex stood nearby, watching Frank like a hawk, both of them wondering how he would be affected by this situation. They were so used to him being the strong one, the one who never let himself be bothered by anything…but seeing him so quiet and pale was a huge indication that all was not right with him…magnified by the fact that the killer had his mother.

Alex was on her cell phone, informing Monica and Cody what had happened.

"No way!" Cody was saying. "Decapitated?"

"Yeah," Alex whispered, not wanting Frank to hear her.

"Who found the body?"

"Frank."

"As if he didn't already have _enough to deal with," Monica sighed. "How'd he take it? Any sign of Alanur?"_

"Probably took it like he takes everything else," said Cody. "Oh, a decap'd body. Nice weather we're having."

Any other time, Alex would've laughed. "Not this time, Cody, and I don't think there was any sign of her…Frank didn't let us go into the room."

"Not _this_ time?" Cody said. "What, did it make him sick?" 

"No," Alex told him, glancing towards their boss. "But he looks like it might."

"Poor guy," said Monica.

Frank wasn't talking to anyone, simply staring at nothing, probably still seeing the hideous scene in his mind. The thought of his mother being in the psycho's clutches was completely unbearable. _What are you doing? he suddenly thought. __You're stronger then this…they think you're stronger than this! _

Everyone was surprised when he suddenly turned around, walking towards the warehouse. 

Alex and Jake shot each other concerned looks, before running after him.

"Gotta go," Alex said to Cody and Monica, hanging up. "Frank!"

Frank stopped, but not in answer to her. The gurney was suddenly pulled out of the warehouse doorway, a zipped-up body bag resting atop it. 

Despite his inward command to be strong, Frank felt his stomach churn at the knowledge of what the bag contained. 

Alex saw Frank's face turn greener, and she grabbed the Chief's arm before he could go have a look at the body…she'd _never seen anything affect her boss this way. _

Morgan had the same thought, and stayed where he was, having no desire to see it. 

Frank didn't turn after the gurney was wheeled past him, but he could feel the eyes of his team members staring at him. When he heard the stretcher placed into the coroner's van, he took a deep breath and rejoined his team. 

"Are we all set here, Steve?" Jake asked Morgan, having the same thought as Alex; get Frank back to the Nest asap.

Morgan nodded. "Yeah." He looked at Frank. "If I have any questions, I'll call."

Frank nodded, and began walking towards Jake's TrailBlazer.

"Guys…" Morgan started.

"We know," said Alex. "We'll get Monica to try talking to him."

Morgan nodded, throwing a sympathetic glance at Frank before heading towards the warehouse.

Jake and Alex ran to the TrailBlazer and quickly climbed in. The drive back was silent, for the most part. They were surprised when Frank spoke.

"I know what you're both thinking," he said. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine."

Alex balked. "Fine?! You don't really expect us to believe that, do you? How _can_ you be? I mean…geez!" she sputtered, catching herself before mentioning what Frank had seen.

Frank said nothing, sighing. 

Jake looked in his review mirror, trying to catch Alex's eye so he could give her a 'leave Frank alone' look.

Alex caught it, and sighed herself. "Sorry, Frank…I just…"

"I know," Frank told her, staring out the window. 

********************

When Frank, Jake, and Alex walked into the Nest, Monica and Cody immediately stared at Frank. Concern was evident in their faces, but before anyone could say anything, Frank suddenly saw the half-eaten pizza on the table.

Seeing Frank's face turn green was a new experience for Monica and Cody, and Monica promptly closed the pizza box.

Frank somehow managed to control his stomach. The smell of the pizza wafted through the room, however, and it was too much for him. "I'll be upstairs," he managed to say, before hurrying towards his office. 

His team could do nothing but watch him leave.

"Man," Cody said, in sympathy. He was grateful to see that Frank hadn't run towards the bathroom. Peering into the pizza box, he made a face at the food. "I guess pizza isn't something Frank needed to see after…well…_that_."

Alex shook her head as she sat next to Monica. "That psycho has his mother! I can't even _imagine_ how he must feel…and poor Alanur!" She sighed, worried for Frank's mother. "Can you go try to talk to him?"

Monica nodded. "I'll try."


	4. Despair

Frank went into his office and closed the door, leaning against it with his face in his hands; despite the pain it caused his left arm. He tried so hard to control his emotions in front of his team, and was usually so successful…but a psycho killer had his _mother_…had Harris already killed her, in the same way he'd killed Agent Johnson? 

The thought made Frank nauseated again and he sat down at his desk. His body shook with worry and his head was starting to ache from the horrid stress of the situation. 

Closing his eyes, he wondered how he would get through this. _If she really is dead…how will I tell my Grandfather? He would die for sure…_Suddenly there was a light knock on his door, but his brain barely registered it.

Monica opened the door and peeked her head in, frowning in concern to see Frank's state. She quickly closed the door and went to his desk, kneeling beside him and putting a hand on his arm. 

Frank was startled, not fully realizing what was going on around him. 

"I know it would be foolish to ask if you're all right," Monica said. "So instead, I'll ask if there's anything I can do." 

Frank sighed. He hated showing vulnerability, but he knew that he was caught. "There's only _one_ thing I want," he said.

Monica nodded, knowing what it was. "You know that we'll do everything in our power to help."

Frank nodded, lowering his hands and sitting up straight. Closing his eyes with a sigh, he leaned his head back on the chair. 

The sound of a drawer opening and the rattle of pills told him that Monica was amazingly astute. Opening his eyes, he saw the aspirins she was holding and he took them from her. 

"Let me get you some water," Monica said, grabbing a mug off his desk.

_You're only as old as you feel, _the mug read. Cody had bought it for him as a joke, after a stretch of cases that had each caused Frank some kind of physical harm. With a sigh, Frank had to admit that he felt much older than his years right now. 

Monica came back from the nearby bathroom and handed Frank the mug, watching as he downed the pills. 

Frank saw the concern in her face, and he felt a little bit of hope. He had the best people in the field working with him. If the five of them couldn't find Harris and Alanur, then no one could. 

Of course, if his mother was no longer alive, then it would all be in vain.

Monica watched the emotions play out on Frank's face, aware that he had to be very far gone in his despair to not realize that he was displaying it openly. "We've found no evidence that he harmed her in any way," she said.

Frank looked up at her, saying nothing. Looking away, he sighed. 

Monica could hear the words she knew he was thinking. _That proves nothing. "I don't mean for this to sound cruel," she said. "But in order to continue with this…case…you need to somehow…" she struggled to find the words. Expressing feelings is what people _needed_ to do; bottling them up—as Frank usually did—was unhealthy. _

"I know what you're saying," he told her, his voice lacking the usual determination. "I need to stay focused." 

Monica nodded. "It's against my nature to tell someone to ignore their feelings—especially you, of all people—but if you're consumed by them right now…"

"Then I'm of no use to this investigation. Is that what you're trying to say?" Frank asked.

Monica made a face as if to say, 'sorry'. "I know you won't bow out of the case, so I won't even give _that as an option…" she stopped when she saw Frank's eyes harden, watching as he clenched his fists. She saw a flicker of pain in his eyes and watched him release the left one, but his right fist tightened even more. _

The sight made her nervous. Anger at the criminal was normal, but she wondered just how far Frank would let it go. He'd seen so much in his career that a situation like this could make him snap. 

Not knowing what else to do, desperately trying to think of a way to dispel some of his anger, she walked behind him and began massaging his shoulders, finding them knotted even tighter then she thought they'd be.

Frank closed his eyes with a shuddering sigh, trying not to wince as she probed the knots. 

Monica said nothing, knowing that it had to hurt but trying to loosen the muscles as much as she could. She found worse knots at the back of his neck, and wondered if they were contributing to his headache. 

Eventually the muscle pain went away as the knots were worked out, and Frank started to doze. He suddenly heard a piercing scream and jumped.

Monica let go of him and stepped back. "Frank?"

Frank turned towards her, realizing that the scream had been in his mind. He'd obviously been starting to dream something terrible…the scream sounded like his mother.

Monica figured it out. "You okay?"

Frank nodded, turning back around with a sigh. He noticed that his neck and shoulder muscles felt much looser. "Thanks, that worked wonders."

Monica smiled, walking around in front of him. "You're welcome." Suddenly his phone started to ring, and Monica put her hand on it to prevent Frank from picking it up.

He looked at her, askance. 

"If you want to talk, remember I'm here," she said.

Frank gave her a little smile, nodding.

Monica let go of the phone, and left the office. As she descended the stairs, she could hear her other teammates whispering. Walking towards the table that they sat at, she saw everyone staring at her. 

"Well?" said Alex.

Saying nothing, she walked up behind Cody and grabbed the back of his neck.

"Hey!" Cody exclaimed, pulling away.

"Just as I thought," said Monica, sitting. "Frank needs a personal masseuse. His muscles were knotted up worse then a Boy Scout's rope."

"Soooooo you gave our boss a massage. Do we want to know what _else_ went on?" said Cody, moving his head around. "Humm, that felt good. Could you do it again?"

Monica made a face at him. "We _talked_. He's in more despair than I've even seen him in. His mother means the world to him." She sighed. "I had to tell him in other words to get a grip on himself, if he's to be able to find her."

Everyone raised their eyebrows. "You told Frank to get a grip?!" Jake exclaimed.

Monica shook her head. "No, I told him that he needs to maintain his composure and control his emotions. He won't get anywhere if he lets the situation get the better of him."

"Girl," said Alex. "What do you expect…his mother is being held captive by a man who chops off people's heads!!"

"I know!" said Monica. "It was hard for me to tell him that, especially since he always bottles everything up. I know he needs to let it out, but you know what I'm getting at…"

"We do," said Jake, with a sigh. Having been an orphan, he couldn't even begin to figure out how it would feel to be in Frank's shoes right now.  

"So what comes next?" asked Cody, trying to massage his own neck. 

Monica grabbed his chair and yanked it closer to her, winning a startled yelp from Cody, and started to massage his neck and shoulders. "I guess we have to wait for him. His phone rang just before I left."

"Ahhhhhh!" Cody exclaimed. "Your fingers are magic!"

Monica squeezed a little harder then necessary, getting another yelp from him.

Alex and Jake couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly stopped when they heard Frank coming down the stairs. He said nothing to them, walking to the table and sitting down.

"Frank?" said Monica, afraid that the phone call had been bad news.

"We need to go back out," he said, not mentioning the phone call. They were relieved to see that it apparently hadn't been related to the situation. 

Everyone stood when Frank did, and followed him out the door, wondering if they were going on a wild goose chase. Despite their hope, they all knew that Alanur could very well be dead…


	5. Nightmare

They searched the city of Chicago for the rest of the day, finding out no further information that could help them discover Harris' and Alanur's whereabouts. Each member of the team was growing more and more upset at the concept that they might never find her, but they all knew that their feelings could never compare to how Frank felt. 

When it started to get dark, each team member made their way back to The Nest, except for Frank, which they expected. As time passed without him coming back, they started calling his cell phone, afraid that he had somehow gotten into trouble…and he didn't answer.

After the fifth attempt to contact him, they really started to worry.

"You think he found Harris and moved in on him by himself?" Cody asked.

The thought scared everyone, and just when they decided to go look for him, the door opened and Frank walked in.

"Frank!" Alex exclaimed. "What happened?"

Frank stopped walking, and shot her a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

"We tried to call you five times," Monica told him.

Frank frowned and took out his cell phone, seeing that it was turned off. He gave them a sheepish look—an expression that they hardly _ever_ saw on his face. "I didn't realize it wasn't on."

The team was surprised. Frank was the most conscientious person they knew. This situation was really affecting his mind, understandably.

"Did you find anything?" Jake asked, to ease the awkward moment.

Frank sighed and shook his head. "You?"

They could hear the hope in his voice with the question, and they were saddened to shake their heads in answer.

Frank sighed again, sitting on the couch. "Go home," he told them. "We'll start again tomorrow morning."

"You're staying here?" Alex asked.

Frank shrugged—another thing they never saw him do.

Alex and Monica exchanged glances, both of them not wanting to leave him alone at such a time.

"I'll be fine," Frank said, sensing their thoughts. 

"Are you sure?" Monica asked.

Frank nodded, but none of his four teammates moved. "Please," he said. "I'm fine. I want to be alone."

"You aren't gonna try to get this guy without backup, are you?" Jake asked him.

Frank shook his head. "I'll be no good to my mother if I'm dead."

The team was relieved to hear that.

"You can all _go_," Frank said again. "That's an order."

"Call us if you need us," said Alex. "No matter the time."

Frank was touched at their obvious caring. "I know. Thanks."

One by one, the team said goodnight and filed out the door. When they were gone, Frank sighed, and buried his face in his hands. 

It was only when alone that Frank allowed himself to give in to emotion. 

_Why did this have to happen? _he thought. _Is she still alive? If so, is she hurt?_ The notion was unbearable, and he tried to shut his mind off. _Monica was right…I'm no use to the investigation if I can't keep a hold of myself. _

Frank stood and walked towards the door, leaving The Nest and locking the door behind him. _Sleep is what I need…I can't solve a crime without a functioning brain. _He knew it would probably be pointless to even _try_ to sleep, with his mother in such a dangerous situation, but he owed it to her to utilize all of his skills to locate her.

Frank drove home on autopilot, stopping at red lights and stop signs automatically, his mind very far away. When he walked into his apartment, he was almost surprised to realize that he was home. 

Throwing his keys onto the coffee table, he went into the kitchen and took out a can of Ovaltine, putting almost twice the suggested amount into a cup and filling it with milk. As he stirred it, he suddenly remembered that his father had introduced the drink to him the first time they had lived in America. It hadn't taken long for both Frank and his mother to grow addicted to the rich chocolate taste. He fleetingly wondered what his team's reaction would be if they knew how much he loved the drink.

A pang of sadness accompanied the thought of his father…especially when he realized that his mother might now be standing beside Frank Sr. and his fiancée, Raina, all of them looking down at him… 

"No!" he said, aloud, slamming the empty—and thankfully, plastic—cup onto the counter and leaning against it. His left hand protested and he took his weight off it, growling in frustration as he tried to bring his thoughts under control. _Don't think…don't think…_he told himself. Glancing at his arm, he decided to have a look at the damage he'd done to himself. 

Walking into the living room, he sat on the couch and unwrapped the gauze, surprised at how red the skin was. _Another annoyance! _

Going into his bathroom, he ran his arm under cool water, for once not ignoring the physical pain; hoping it would distract him away from his _emotional_ pain. The thought of his mother being the captive of a sicko—Frank _refused to believe that she was dead—was so unbearable that he actually felt pain in his chest. Grief threatened to overcome him; for his father, his fiancée, and now his mother…_

In desperation, Frank went into the living room and turned on the radio, hoping the noise would take his mind off the situation. As he flipped through the stations trying to find the loudest noise possible, he realized that he could be making a huge mistake…remembering what a particular song had done to him after Raina had died.*

Turning it off, he went over to the couch and threw himself down on it, covering his eyes with his good arm. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but he knew he'd never sleep, not with his mother in the hands of a lunatic…

_The sounds of scraping caught Frank's attention as he warily walked through the woods; cautious, expecting to be attacked at any time. It was pitch dark outside and Frank was shocked to see that he didn't have his gun. He managed to follow the sound, and as he got closer and closer, an odd smell became noticeable. _

_Something suddenly ran into his path, a dark, silhouetted figure, and it pushed him to the ground violently, launching a brutal attack._

_Frank wasn't able to adequately defend himself against the monster; it was much stronger than he was and had a knife, which it used to slash Frank repeatedly. He covered his face with his left arm, receiving most of his injuries there. _

_Suddenly, the thing was gone, and Frank removed his arm to see that he was now alone. Rolling to his hands and knees, he was unable to place any weight on his left arm, which was steadily dripping blood. He somehow managed to get to his feet and stumbled forward, leaning against a tree, now seeing what lay beyond it…_

_His mother lay on the ground, obviously dead…her head separated from her body…_

Frank woke up with a loud gasp, shaking, his heart racing. The terrible nightmare had literally managed to steal the air from his lungs, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. As he tried to get his breath back, he realized that tears were sliding down his face, and he pushed himself up to a sitting position, suddenly finding that he was lying on the floor. He'd obviously fallen off the couch, and landed on his burned arm, which was hurting even worse now. 

Frank ran a hand over his face, his whole body shaking like a leaf in the wind. Thoughts of what he'd seen in his dream brought on a major wave of nausea, and Frank was grateful that he hadn't eaten supper…or lunch…or, for that matter, breakfast. 

With a groan, Frank closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the couch, feeling too weak to pull himself back onto it. _Could that dream have been the truth? he wondered. _Did Harris kill my mother?__

* 'Till Death Do Us Part' : storyid=1205322


	6. A Clue!

The next morning, the rest of the team was at The Nest early, all of them surprised to find Frank's car missing from the parking lot. They all got their coffee and sat down, awaiting him. 

"I wonder if he slept last night," Cody said.

Everyone shot looks at him as if to say, 'I doubt it'. Their suspicions proved correct when Frank came into the room looking exhausted. He said nothing, walking over to the table and sitting down.

Monica stood and went to the coffee pot, bringing Frank back a mug and setting it down in front of him.

"Thanks," he said, quietly.

"You okay?" Alex asked, concerned at his depressed appearance.

Frank nodded, knowing that he was anything _but. After the horrible nightmare he'd had the previous night—after a mere half-hour of sleep—he hadn't been able to get anymore…in truth, he hadn't _tried_ to fall back to sleep, not wanting to suffer another horrendous dream. _

As he sipped the coffee, scenes from the nightmare forced their way into Frank's mind, despite his effort of trying to forget it.

His teammates saw Frank's skin suddenly pale as he set down the mug. Noticing that it'd happened when he'd drank the coffee, they assumed it had something to do with the body he'd discovered the previous day. 

"Have you eaten?" Monica asked.

Frank skin paled further, if possible, and it upset them greatly to see that he apparently couldn't eat. Before they had a chance to start mother-henning him, however, Frank opened his mouth to speak, but Alex beat him before he had the chance.

"Frank! You took the bandage off?"

Frank looked down at his arm with an inward sigh. He should've known the females would flip at this show of stupidity.

"You know better than that," said Alex. "Your arm could get infected if it's not properly covered!" She stood and retrieved the first aid kit that was still on the table from the day before, and took out the roll of gauze. 

Frank had to literally force himself not to say anything. He was in such a state of utter anger and frustration…not at Alex, or any of his team; but these nagging little annoyances were too much, on top of the current deadly situation. He needed to be out there finding his mother, not fussing over minor injuries!

Silent fuming helped nothing, he knew, as Alex came over and assumed the mother-henning duty of wrapping Frank's arm again. 

"What's the plan for today?" Monica asked him, hoping to distract him from Alex's ministrations, which everyone could see were annoying him.

"We have to go back to the warehouse," Frank told her. "To search for any clues that Harris might've left."

Everyone nodded, thinking it wise. 

"Don't let this hand or arm touch anything near where the body was," said Alex. "You don't want any…uh…germs coming in contact with it..."

Everyone watched Frank's face, not knowing if mention of the body would make him feel sick again. It was strange to wonder something like this about Frank—the man who didn't let things affect him—but the horrid worry over his mother was contributing a lot to his physical—not just emotional—health.

Frank noticed their looks. "Stop worrying about me, I'm fine," he lied, just as they knew he would.

The others were smart enough to not believe him, but they stopped staring anyway and stood from the table when Frank did, heading after him towards the door.

********************

Entering the warehouse, Frank, Jake, and Alex studied every inch of it on the way to the room that had contained Agent Johnson's body. 

Reaching the door, Frank opened it slightly, sticking his head in as if to make sure that the room was free of decapitated bodies before letting Jake and Alex enter. 

There was blood still all over the room, but the smell was not as bad, since the body was no longer there. 

Frank began to feel nauseated again, and sighed with irritation. _What is the matter with you? _he asked himself. _You're stronger than this! _He knew that it had largely to do with worry over his mother, and whether or not Harris had hurt her…especially after such a sickening nightmare. He briefly wondered if not eating was also making him feel worse. 

With an inward sigh, Frank held his left arm behind his back, seeing wisdom in Alex's suggestion as he looked along the floor where the body had laid. _Harris is either very smart or very lucky, _he thought to himself, when he found nothing, not even a bloody footprint. 

"Frank!" Alex suddenly exclaimed.

Turning around, he looked to where she was crouching, peering into a corner. He and Jake ran over, to see what she'd found. It was something that they hadn't expected…a bloody machete. 

The murder weapon.

Jake handed Frank a handkerchief, and Frank reached out to pick up the knife, holding it up as he walked to the middle of the room. 

Jake and Alex studied it, surprised to find it apparently discarded. 

"Well?" they suddenly heard through their earpieces.

Cody. They'd momentarily forgotten that he and Monica were in the van, acting as lookouts in case Harris decided to come back to the warehouse…for whatever reason his criminal mind might give him. 

"The murder weapon," said Jake. "A machete."

"No way!" said Cody. He grunted a second later, and they knew it was because Monica had elbowed him.

Frank walked over to a dust-and-dirt-littered table, laying the machete down.

Alex and Jake watched him as he stared at it, noticing that he had yet to say a word.

_Harris doesn't have his knife…_Frank thought. _He left it behind…my mother may still be alive…_

"Frank?" said Alex, touching his arm.

Frank blinked, turning his head to look at her. He saw their concerned expressions, and wondered how long he'd been staring at the thing. "Let's go." Picking up the weapon, he left the room, with Alex and Jake behind him.


	7. Yummy Chinese Food lol

"So that's what he used, eh?" said Chief Morgan, as Frank walked into the crime lab.

Frank nodded, having asked Morgan to meet them there. Walking into one of the rooms, he handed it, handkerchief first, to a forensic scientist. 

"Mean lookin' sucker," the man commented, as he set the knife down.

"I need to know how many people it killed," said Frank. 

The scientist nodded. "No problem, Mr. Donovan."

Leaving the room, Frank stopped, facing Morgan. "After we left, yesterday, did any of your officers find anything that I don't know about?"

Morgan shook his head. "Nothing that I know of. I can gather their reports and let you know."

"Could I see them?" Frank asked.

Morgan nodded. "Of course." He sighed inwardly at the obvious stress and worry in his friend's face. He'd known Frank for a lot of years; since Frank was a teenager. Morgan had been only a patrolman when he saw Frank for the first time, when Frank's father was killed. He remembered the compassion he'd had for the younger man, unable to imagine what it was like to lose a father to murder. He'd tried to help find the killer, but the Chicago PD never managed to solve the case…they had no way of knowing that the murderer lived in Egypt, as part of Frank's own people.*

Frank suddenly tried to stifle a yawn, looking like he was about to fall asleep on his feet. 

"How are you holding up?" Morgan asked him. It seemed a stupid question, but he had to say _something_. 

"Fine," was Frank's predictable answer. 

"I hate to give you false hope," said Morgan. "But the fact that the knife was left behind at the scene—"

"Could mean that my mother is still alive," said Frank. "Or at least, wasn't killed in the same…manner…that Agent Johnson was."

Morgan nodded. _He's thinking irrationally...Harris could have another knife._ It was an odd to think of Frank Donovan as not thinking clearly, but he knew that the man was under tremendous stress.

Frank sighed, and for an instant, Morgan saw the teenage Frank; even at the young age of 16 trying to hold in his emotions…but failing. The lack of control only lasted a few seconds; anyone who'd only known Frank for a short time would not have even seen it at all.

"Why don't you go get some sleep or something," Morgan said, seeing the exhaustion in Frank's eyes. "I'll call you the minute they find out anything."

Frank's only answer was another sigh. "Can you let me know when the reports are ready?"

Morgan nodded, putting his hand on Frank's shoulder. "Don't worry, Frank," he said. "You'll find her. If there's anything that I can do, let me know."

"Thanks," Frank said. "I appreciate it."

Morgan smiled at him with a nod. "Anytime."

********************

Hearing Frank coming into the room, Cody quickly closed all the Chinese food boxes and fanned the air, trying to get rid of the smell, just in case Frank's stomach still couldn't handle it.

Frank saw everyone staring at him as he walked in, and saw the food on the table. He had a feeling they'd gotten Chinese on purpose, knowing that it's his favorite.

"Frank?" said Monica. "Think you can eat?"

Frank said nothing, unsure. If it had only been a matter of finding that body, he was sure that he would've been fine a long time ago. The main problem was worry over his mother, and whether or not Harris had done the same thing to her and dumped her body in the woods somewhere…and then, of course there was the horrible nightmare that Frank could still feel lingering in the back of his brain, as if it were following him around.

"Remember what happened the last time you refused to eat, Frank!" said Alex, trying the direct approach.

Frank sighed, remembering that when his fiancée had been murdered, he'd been such a wreck that he hadn't taken care of himself…and had literally passed out from hunger. _If I do that to myself again, _he thought, _I'll be of no use to my mother. _

The team watched him as he walked over to the table, opening one of the Chinese food cartons. He found exactly what he expected; sweet&sour chicken. He forced himself not to think of his mother's possible death; instead focusing his mind on anything and everything else he could think of.

The smell of the food didn't nauseate him, to his relief, and he took the carton and sat down, grabbing a fork instead of chopsticks, as he hadn't the patience for them. 

Everyone stared at Frank as he ate a piece of the chicken, chewing it to a pulp and swallowing it slowly. He paused before eating another piece, waiting for his stomach's reaction. To his surprise, it didn't revolt, and he ate another piece, this time dipping it into the sauce.

Alex and Monica smiled at each other, relieved to see him eating.  

Frank ate three pieces before he stopped, unable to stop worrying for his mother. _I'm sitting here eating while she may be dying…if she isn't dead already!_

Alex and Monica stood up, alarmed when Frank suddenly put down the fork and covered his eyes with his good hand, leaning his elbow on the table with a sigh.

"Frank?" said Alex, reaching him first.

 Frank abruptly stood. "I can't just sit here…I have to find her!"

Jake stood next, grabbing Frank's arm when Frank passed him on his way to the door. "Wait, Frank! Take a minute to think, here. We're waiting for info from Morgan."

_The officers' reports, and the lab results on the machete, _Frank remembered. He felt like a fool as he walked to the couch, saying nothing as he sat. He was very relieved that the rest of the team refrained from staring at him. 

Someone was suddenly standing in front of him, and Frank looked up to see Monica holding a Chinese food carton.

"You didn't eat enough," she said. 

Frank shook his head. "Maybe later."

Monica sighed dejectedly, having known that he would refuse it. 

Frank's cell phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Donovan."

"Hey Frank," said Morgan. "I have a couple of those reports ready for you."

"Good," Frank stood. "I'll be right there." 

Everyone watched him as he shut off his phone.

"I'll be at the PD," he told them, jogging to the door.

"Bye," Cody said, sarcastically, as they heard the door close.

* Déjà vu : storyid=1064408


	8. A Tip!

"Is this all of them?"

Morgan shook his head as he handed Frank the papers. "No, not all of the officers did their reports yet. I told them to get them done asap, but a few of them are on patrol at the moment."

Frank nodded, remembering what it was like to get behind on police reports. 

Morgan watched him as he glanced through the papers, heading towards the door. "Frank?"

Frank stopped and turned.

Morgan gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and Frank came back, sitting down. 

"I wanted to tell you that I and the entire police force are at your disposal at any time."

Frank nodded, giving a little smile. "Thanks."

Morgan smiled back. "I know this is a dumb question, but how are you holding up? I'm worried about you, Frank."

Frank sighed, looking down at the floor. 

"You can talk to me, you know that," said Morgan. "You don't need the tough front with me, I've known you too long."

Frank looked back at him. So true, they'd known each other for a long time. The teenage Frank had begun to regard Morgan as his mentor not long after they'd met. After his father's murder, Frank decided to become a policeman so he could catch criminals and prevent such pain in other families. Morgan had helped him every step of the way.

"It's hard," Frank finally said. He shook his head, unable to think of adequate words. "I want her back," he told Morgan, almost sounding like the 16 year old boy who'd so tragically lost his father. 

The memory sent a chill down Morgan's spine. "I know you do, Frank." _God, _he prayed. _Don't let him lose his mother too…he's lost too many people already…_

********************

The team was surprised at the length of time that Frank was gone, and just when they were starting to worry, he came back. 

Everyone watched as their boss silently walked towards the steps—an unreadable look on his face—and climbed them, to his office. 

Entering it, Frank closed the door behind him and sat at the desk. Sighing, he slouched back in the chair and rubbed his eyes, feeling exhausted. He was still in shock over the situation, still unable to believe that something like this had happened—his mother being kidnapped not as an act of revenge on him, but from being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

Forcing himself to open his eyes, Frank looked at the police reports before him, picking up the first one and reading it. It contained nothing that he didn't already know and he put it down, reading the second one. 

The words on the paper started to blur, and Frank's exhausted mind didn't identify the reason fast enough. His eyes drifted shut and his hand relaxed, making the report fall onto his lap. 

Only seconds later, his door suddenly opened as Jake burst in. "Frank?"

Frank startled visibly, jerking upright in the chair. He looked at Jake in alarm, his heart pounding and his mind still fuzzy from exhaustion.

Jake winced. "Oh man, sorry, Frank." 

Frank said nothing, breathing deeply in an effort to calm his racing heart.  

Jake waited; knowing that the news he had would send Frank into a frenzy. _Better let the guy calm down first._

Frank looked up at Jake a minute later, wondering what he was doing there. "What did you come up here for?"

Jake took a deep breath. "Morgan just called with a tip."

Frank leaped to his feet, the police report falling to the floor unnoticed. "A tip on my mother's whereabouts?"

Jake nodded. "Someone called the police to say that they saw a man pull a tied-up woman into a warehouse…" he turned to follow his boss when Frank headed for the stairs.

"In Chicago?" Frank asked.

"Yup!" said Jake. 

Taking the steps three at a time, Frank reached the bottom and ran towards the door, where the others were waiting. 

Piling into the van, Jake drove while Cody and Monica turned on the computers and got the equipment ready. 

Alex sat behind Jake and watched Frank, who sat silently, his hands clenched on his lap. She caught Jake's eyes in the rearview mirror, giving him a worried look, knowing that what they find in this warehouse might not be a happy ending to Alanur's disappearance.

The drive seemed to take forever to Frank, but it was really only ten minutes. When they arrived, he grabbed the handle to jump out, before realizing that his team was waiting for orders. 

"Cody, Monica, stay here and survey the surroundings," he said. "If you see anyone in sight, let us know. Jake, Alex…"

The two agents followed Frank out of the van, taking out their guns and walking silently, both of them watching out for Frank as well as themselves; knowing that his exhaustion could make him an easy target.

Making their way to the door, Jake and Alex peered into the windows, seeing no one inside. 

Frank found the door to be easily unlocked and he opened it, the three of them walking in quietly. 

The day was cloudy, so there wasn't as much light as there could've been. They could find no light switches, and so had no choice but to pay extra attention to their surroundings. 

Frank came to a door, and felt a sense of déjà vu as he gripped the handle. He was relieved when no headless body presented itself. The room was empty and full of dust, showing no signs of having been entered in who knew how long. Leaving the room, he continued his search, doubts entering his mind of this warehouse ever having truly been inhabited by Harris and Alanur. 

Jake and Alex likewise found nothing, and the three of them eventually left the warehouse and went back to the van. 

"It doesn't look like it's been inhabited," said Jake, once they were inside.

"I agree," said Alex.

Frank sighed. "It might only be where they're sleeping," he said. "They might return. We'll stake it out tonight."

Everyone nodded. It was the only tip they got; they _had to follow it through._


	9. A Tip, or Not a Tip? That is the Questio...

"Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop…when the wind blows, the cradle will rock…"

Jake looked at Cody, to see him nod towards Frank, who was standing at one of the van's windows, staring at the warehouse. His eyes repeatedly closed tiredly; each time he reopened them seemed harder than the last, and they realized that he'd been awake for almost 48 hours. 

"When the bow breaks, the cradle will—" Cody suddenly broke off when he saw Frank teeter on his feet. "—fall!" 

"Frank," said Jake, standing and taking his arm. "Sit down."

Frank shook his head but followed Jake when he pulled him to a chair. Jake forced him down into it, and Frank said nothing to either of them, not even able to form a coherent sentence in his exhausted brain. 

Jake looked at his watch to see that it was almost 3am. Alex and Monica were asleep near the front of the van, and Jake realized that it was almost time to wake them for their watch so that he and Cody could get some shut-eye. 

Frank's mind cleared somewhat and he realized that Jake and Cody were both watching him. "What?" he asked.

Cody shook his head and spun his chair around, facing his computer once more. 

"You should get some sleep," said Jake, knowing that he was fighting a losing battle.

Frank shook his head and tried to stand again. 

Jake sighed in annoyance, and placed his hands on Frank's shoulders, holding him down in the chair. "Frank, how are you supposed to function without sleep! You've been awake for almost 48 hours! You'll be nothing but a liability to yourself, _and_ us, when we take Harris down!" _Okay, Jake, _he told himself. _Prepare to be killed by your own boss!_

Jake's words didn't quite get through to Frank, only the situation did; the fact that his subordinate was holding him back and giving _him orders. "Who do you think you are?!" he exclaimed, angrily. "Let __go of me!" _

Jake was wise enough to realize the danger of angering a man who was half-dead with exhaustion, especially when Frank's emotions were already out of whack because of his mother's abduction.

Cody leaped to his feet to play referee if need be, but Frank merely stumbled over to the window that he'd been standing at earlier.

The commotion woke Alex and Monica, and they hurried over to the two men.

"What was _that_ all about?" Alex whispered, alarmed.

"Frank almost fell asleep on his feet," said Cody. "Jake made him sit down and wouldn't let him get up again."

"At least you're still alive to tell about it," said Monica, with a smirk.

Jake rolled his eyes. "The guy's gonna get himself killed one of these days, if he keeps refusing to take care of himself."

"Jake!" said Alex. "Don't even say such a thing!"

"Yeah, man," said Cody, frowning. Despite his constant jokes, he admired Frank greatly. "We'll watch his back."

********************

Frank's night of watching the warehouse was wasted. Harris and Alanur were nowhere to be seen.

"Did Morgan tell you who called in this tip?" Alex asked Jake.

Jake shrugged. "A young-sounding man, he said. The guy hung up without identifying himself."

Frank barely listened to the conversation, gulping down his coffee; grateful for the java maker they'd put in the van for times like these. He'd managed to stay awake the whole night—by nothing short of a miracle—and his feeling of exhaustion was mixing with the feeling of being wired…no doubt from the caffeine's effect in his over-tired body.

Putting down the mug, he went over to the door. "Let's search the area," he said. "We need to find evidence that will either support or refute the fact that Harris and my mother were indeed here."

Everyone nodded, all four of them following Frank out of the van. They each split up, heading in their own direction. 

"Hey, what are they doin' now?"

Frank stopped at the sound of the voice, to see two teenage boys hiding behind a tree, just ahead and to the left of him.

"Looks like they're looking for clues! How cool is that!" said the other boy.

"You think we'd get arrested if the cops found out we lied?" said the first boy. 

"How would they find out?" said the other. "Which cop should we videotape? It'd be funny if they actually _did find something here!"_

Frank couldn't believe what he was hearing. Two kids had faked the tip! Harris and Alanur had never been spotted here at all!

"The others are gonna flip when they see this tape!" the boy continued. "They're gonna think it's so cool!"

Frank felt his blood start to boil. He started running towards the boys, just as the rest of the team ran over, having heard the voices over Frank's very sensitive earpiece.

"Frank!" Jake yelled, seeing what he was about to do. "Don't!"

But Frank hardly heard him. Right now, he was worried out of his mind for his mother, exhausted nearly to the point of collapse, and completely outraged.

The two teens turned around in time to see Frank as he practically tackled them, grabbing them by their shirts and throwing them to the ground. 

Frank's mind barely registered his actions and he had no idea what he was doing, when hands suddenly grabbed his arms and tried to hold him back. He fought against them, his emotions controlling him as he tried to get away, but suddenly something connected with the left side of face and he saw stars. 

Cody and Alex lowered Frank to a sitting position on the ground after he slumped against them. Gripping his arms tightly to keep him there, they watched as Jake and Monica quickly grabbed the boys and hurried away, getting them out of Frank's sight. 

Frank's struggles stopped, and he simply sat there, breathing heavily as his body shook with the effect of adrenaline waging a war within his worn-out body. 

"Frank? You all right?"

He gradually became aware of Alex's voice, and shook his head in answer, to his own surprise as well as Alex and Cody's. _It was all fake, he realized. __My mother was never here…she was never here!_


	10. sniff sniff sniff

Within moments, two police cars arrived at the scene, and the officers took the two teenage boys away. 

Jake and Monica quickly rushed over to where Frank still sat on the ground, with Cody and Alex beside him, still holding onto his arms. 

"Frank?" said Jake, hoping he hadn't hurt his boss badly when he'd had no choice but to hit him. 

Frank looked at him, but said nothing. He was finally starting to come back to himself, and was shocked at what he'd been about to do, if his team hadn't intervened. 

Jake and Cody pulled Frank to his feet and lead him back to the van, where they piled in and left, heading back to the Nest. 

No one spoke during the trip, their minds occupied with feeling sorry for Frank, and wondering what he would've done to the kids had they not reached him in time. 

When they walked into the Nest, they all followed Frank to the couch, watching as he sat down. The left side of Frank's face was changing color as a bruise formed, and Monica went into the kitchen to get him some ice.

"Frank?" said Jake. "Sorry about the, uh…" he made a punching motion with his right hand. 

Frank shook his head, wincing inwardly when the motion hurt. "Don't be," he said. "You possibly saved those kids lives."

"Wow, Jake," said Cody. "You just got away with punching your boss!" He meant to lighten the mood, and it worked slightly. 

Monica came back from the kitchen and sat beside Frank, studying the bruise and placing the ice-filled towel against it. 

"Thanks," Frank said, holding it there. His voice sounded depressed. 

"I told the police to hold those boys for an hour before calling their mothers," said Jake. "Maybe that'll teach them a lesson. I didn't press charges, but I got their names, in case you want to…"

Frank sighed. "How old are they?"

"Sixteen."

Frank closed his eyes, sighing again. "Leave them alone," he said, rubbing his forehead, which was aching thanks to Jake's punch.

"Frank," said Monica. "Get some sleep! You'll have a nervous breakdown if you keep up like this!" A peculiar look crossed Frank's face for only a split-second, but she somehow managed to see it. "What is it?" she asked.

Frank said nothing, closing his eyes with a sigh.

Studying him, the astute Monica was able to figure it out. "Nightmares?" she said.

"No," Frank answered, too quickly.

Everyone exchanged glances, knowing that he was lying. 

_If it had anything to do with that dead body and his mother, _thought Monica,_ no wonder he won't sleep!_

No one knew what to do. They knew that Frank couldn't last any longer without sleep, but now they understood why he was avoiding it.

The phone suddenly rang, breaking the awkward moment. Cody ran over and answered it. "Hello…yup, hold on."

"Who's that?" Frank asked, as Cody brought him the phone.

"The forensic guy you gave the machete to," he said. 

Frank grabbed the phone. "This is Donovan…one? What type?" 

Everyone watched nervously, knowing what Frank was asking. 

Frank suddenly sighed, closing his eyes. "Right. Thanks."

As he handed Cody the phone, Alex exclaimed, "Well?!"

"There was only one blood type on the machete," Frank told her. "A+. My mother has O, like me."

Everyone smiled their relief. 

"Thank God!" Alex said.

"Cool," said Cody. "So where do we go from here?"

"_Frank_ takes a nap," said Alex. "Preferably a 10-hour one."

Frank sighed, rubbing his forehead again. 

"It's for your own good," said Monica.

Frank put his arm down, looking exasperated. "Would _you be able to sleep if you knew that a psycho was holding your mother captive?" he yelled, standing. "A psycho that _decapitates_ people?!"_

His team said nothing, watching Frank as he started to pace. They exchanged glances, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the situation.

After a few minutes, when she was sure that Frank had paced-out some of his anger, Monica slowly walked over to him. "We understand, Frank," she said, softly. "We just can't watch you waste away like this." She watched him as he paced, back and forth, back and forth. When he turned in her direction again, she stood in front of him, making him stop. "You're doing yourself physical harm," she said.

Frank looked her in the eyes, but said nothing. What _could he say? She was right. They were __all right; he completely forsook regard for his physical state when something of this magnitude—which seemed to take place too often—occurred. All he was focused on was getting his mother back. _

A hand on his arm brought him back to the present, and he saw that it belonged to Monica, who was still standing before him. 

Frank's resolve nearly broke then, at the look of concern in her eyes. Before he had the chance to think, he turned away from them and rushed up the stairs to his office.

The team was only slightly surprised at his sudden action. 

Sighing, Monica shook her head, walking back towards the others. 

"This can't go on," said Alex. "Something needs to be done!"

"He almost looked like he was gonna cry," said Cody, sounding shocked.

"What we need to do," said Jake. "Is find Alanur! Even if she's—" he looked towards the stairs to make sure that Frank couldn't hear them. "—dead. It'll provide closure, it's better than leaving him wondering."

"I wish he would get some sleep," said Monica, sighing.

"Too bad we can't slip a sleeping pill into his drink like we did that last time!" said Cody.*

"No," said Alex, shaking her head. "Remember, he told us that they don't agree with him."

"Duh," said Cody, making a face. "That's why I said, 'too bad we _can't_'."

* Till Death do us Part: storyid=1205322


	11. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Frank closed his door and plopped down into his chair, leaning his elbows on the desk with his face in his hands, ignoring the pain from where Jake had punched him. _I can't accept that she's dead…_he thought, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. _She can't be, I can't lose her this way!_

His brain took advantage of his eyes being closed and he started to drift in a half-awake, half-asleep mode. He still felt the emotional anguish, but now it was accompanied by images. He saw scenes of himself as a child, playing with his mother, his father…scenes of himself in Egypt, watching in awe as his grandfather, Ardeth Bay, practiced swordplay with Safti…scenes of himself only a few months ago, with Raina, the woman he'd asked to be his wife, before she was brutally murdered…

He suddenly woke when his arms went limp; almost making his face smack into the desk. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead, feeling his head swimming with exhaustion and starting to throb, whether from tiredness or Jake's punch, he wasn't sure.

Pushing his chair back slightly, he heard a crinkle under the wheel and saw the police reports under the chair. Leaning down, he picked them up, reading the one he'd been interrupted from the previous day. He saw nothing that he needed to know, and tossed it onto his desk, exasperated.

A knock sounded on the door, and Frank almost ignored it, figuring that it was Alex or Monica coming to pester him about getting some sleep.

The door creaked open very slowly, and a head peeked through.

It was Chief Morgan.

"Steve?" said Frank, surprised to see him there.

Morgan made a face before coming in the door. "When you didn't answer, I'd hoped you were sleeping."

Frank shook his head with a sigh, sitting back in the chair. 

Morgan sat in front of the desk. "I brought you the other reports."

Frank's eyebrows rose and he reached forward to take them. 

Morgan handed them over, watching Frank as he flipped through them. "I don't know if you're gonna find anything else in there that you don't already know."

Frank had a feeling he would say that, but he skimmed through them anyway. When he realized that Morgan was right, he plopped them in a pile with the others, dejectedly. 

Morgan frowned at that. 'Frank Donovan' and 'dejected' did _not belong in the same sentence. It was as if Frank was accepting that his mother was dead. He opened his mouth to protest, to tell Frank that he _would_ find her…but there was every possibility that Harris __had indeed killed her by now. _

Sighing, he looked up at Frank, to see his friend's eyes drifting closed. Frank was literally fighting to keep them open, and wasn't succeeding. 

Morgan sat still in his chair, not making any noise or sudden moves, hoping that Frank would actually fall asleep. He didn't wait long, for Frank's eyes finally stayed closed, and his head slowly rolled to one side.

Morgan was relieved that he'd actually fallen asleep, but he realized that he might wake Frank by leaving. He suddenly noticed the bruise on Frank's face, and wondered where he'd gotten it. 

Frank's burned arm suddenly slid off the arm of the chair, and Morgan winced, hoping that it wouldn't jolt Frank awake. It didn't, thankfully, but Morgan wondered if the chair was comfortable enough to sleep in. 

Just as Morgan decided to try sneaking out of the room, Frank's whole body jerked and he gasped loudly, his eyes flying open.

"Frank?" Morgan said, concerned. 

Frank said nothing, breathing heavily, the images playing in his mind fading too slowly. 

Standing, Morgan grabbed a mug off Frank's desk and went into the nearby bathroom, filling it with water and bringing it back. "Drink this, Frank."

Frank blinked, finally realizing that Morgan was there, and he raised a shaking hand to take the water, drinking half of it. 

Morgan sat back down again, watching him worriedly. "What happened?"

Frank set down the mug, taking a deep breath. "I fell asleep?"

Morgan nodded. "For a few minutes."

Frank sighed. "Bad dream," he told him, his pride making him avoid the word, 'nightmare'. 

Morgan sighed. "I wish I could tell you that you'll get her back safe and sound, Frank."

Frank said nothing for a while, inwardly fighting his emotions—emotions that he tried so hard to constantly hide. "I know," he finally said. 

********************

The team looked up when Morgan came down the stairs with Frank behind him. They went separate ways; Morgan heading towards the door while Frank walked over to Cody, who was sitting at a computer.

"What are you doing?" Frank asked.

Cody shrugged. "It's a long shot, but I'm going into Illinois chat rooms and asking people if they know anything."

Frank read the people's replies, seeing that no one said anything helpful. 

"I'm giving them my email address in case they find out anything," Cody told him.

"Good," Frank nodded, heading towards the coffee pot.

Monica and Alex looked at each other, shaking their heads. 

"Frank," Alex suddenly said. "Do you want to spend time in the _hospital_ instead of finding your mother, or something?"

Frank poured his coffee before asking, "What do you mean?"

Alex gave an exasperated sigh. "You _know_ what I mean! When you collapse from exhaustion."

Frank said nothing, a part of him arguing in her favor, and a part of him arguing against her. He was silent as he drank nearly the whole cup in three gulps.

"We're at a stalemate anyway," said Jake. "It's not like you'll miss something!"

"We'll wake you if we find out anything," said Monica.

Frank leaned against the table housing the coffeepot, closing his eyes. He _so much_ wanted to give in; he was so tired that his arm didn't have the strength to hold the nearly-empty coffee mug. 

Closing his eyes while standing was a bad idea, as he nearly fell asleep on his feet. He fumbled with the coffee mug when his hand unexpectedly let go of it, catching it by nothing short of a miracle. 

"Heh," said Cody. "I'd call _that_ a bad sign."

Alex and Monica stood, both walking over to him. 

"Come on, Frank," said Alex. "Be a mature man instead of a stubborn child! For your mother's sake."

Frank flashed an angry look at her at the 'child' remark, but it faded with the words that followed. Sighing, he pushed himself away from the table, but his legs didn't hold his weight. He felt a strange tingling numbness spread through his body, and he had no choice but to reach out to grab Alex, who was the closest to him. 

"Crap!" Alex exclaimed, she and Monica both grabbing him. 

Jake and Cody jumped up from their chairs and ran over, but Frank waved them away. 

"I'm fine," he said, as Alex and Monica pulled him towards the couch. "Let me go."

"Why, so you can fall flat on your face?!" Alex exclaimed. 

Frank said nothing as they sat him on the couch. He'd once again pushed his body too far, and would continue to pay for it if he didn't listen to his team. _It would be so much easier without those dreams,_ he thought. Maybe he'd get lucky and not dream _anything_, thanks to his sheer exhaustion. 

He suddenly felt someone pushing on his shoulder, trying to lie him down. He opened his eyes, realizing that he'd apparently closed them. "Wake me if you hear _anything_," he said, finally giving in and lying down. He was asleep within seconds. 

The team shot relieved looks at each other.

"Wonder how long he'll _stay_ asleep," Cody whispered. 

"We should put this time to good use," said Alex. "Cody, you stay here and do your computer thing. The rest of us'll go look for info again. Maybe we'll have some news for Frank when he wakes up. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded, heading for the door. 


	12. Losing Hope

_Frank ran up a flight of stairs, holding his gun. He came to a door and kicked it in without hesitation. In the middle of the room was what he'd hoped to see; his mother, alive. _

_"Mfph!" she exclaimed, through a gag. She was tied to a chair and rocked it, impatient to be freed._

_Frank ran towards her and pulled the gag down, cutting the ropes with a pocketknife. Tossing the tool down, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly._

_"Frank!" she exclaimed. "I knew you'd save me."_

_Frank squeezed his eyes shut. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, barely able to speak._

_"No," she answered. _

_"It's a Kodak moment!" they suddenly heard._

_Turning, Frank saw Harris standing just inside the door, smirking. "How could you?" Frank said. "How could you kidnap an innocent, older woman and hold her captive for over a week? How could you do these things?"_

_Harris shrugged. "Dunno. I enjoy it!"_

_Frank's blood began to boil, and he gripped his gun tighter…until he realized that his gun was no longer in his hand. Reaching towards his holster, he found it empty._

_Harris laughed, as he walked further into the room. "Humm, is the mighty Frank Donovan unarmed? I seem to have a weapon, myself…" he held up a gun. "Should I use it? Which one of you wants to die first?"_

_Frank protectively stood in front of his mother. "You don't have to do this, Harris, let my mother go."_

_Harris *tsk tsked* "Why would I want to do that?" With that, he aimed his gun towards them and fired. _

"Frank?"

Frank's eyes shot open, to see Cody looking down at him. He sat up and looked around the room, seeing his mother nowhere in sight. 

With a groan, Frank dropped his face into his right hand, forgetting that he had an audience.

"You okay, Frank?"

Frank's head snapped up, looking into Cody's concerned face. "I'm fine. Where is everyone?" 

Cody recognized Frank's way of changing the subject. "They went out on the streets again." 

Frank was glad to hear that. He looked at his watch, but couldn't remember what time he'd fallen asleep. 

"It's been two hours," Cody told him. "None of them called in, so…"

Frank sighed. That meant that they hadn't found anything…yet, anyway.

"Go back to sleep," Cody said, awkwardly. "I'll wake you if they find something."

Frank sighed, but to Cody's surprise, he lay back down on the couch.

Cody watched him for a minute, surprised that Frank had listened to him. _Maybe he finally came to his senses, _he thought. Sighing, he hoped that the others would find a good, solid clue.

********************

As it turned out, they didn't.

Hours later, each team member returned to the Nest, all of them looking defeated. They were surprised to find Frank still lying on the couch. 

"Did he sleep the whole time?" Alex whispered to Cody.

Cody shook his head. "On and off. He woke up a bunch of times." He shrugged. "He was awake almost as much as asleep, I think."

Everyone sighed. 

"Find anything?" they suddenly heard. 

Turning, they saw Frank sitting up.

"We're so sorry, Frank," said Alex, sounding upset. "We didn't find anything."

Frank said nothing, but his eyes told a story. They could see that he was starting to believe his mother dead.

"What can we do, Frank?" Monica asked him, saddened at the grief in his eyes.

Frank shook his head. "Nothing. I'm fine." With that, he laid back down, facing away from them.

The action was so out of character for Frank Donovan that the team didn't know what to do. They wondered how Frank would recover from the loss of his fiancée and mother both within months of each other. 

********************

The night was long, as the team refused to go home and leave Frank alone this time. Frank was inwardly touched, but didn't show it, lying on the couch silently, not saying much at all.

The team slept in shifts, keeping one of them awake in case Frank needed them. He didn't change his position; he lay with his back to them all night, seemingly hiding from the world. Everyone understood—his mother was presumed dead—but the girls didn't hold back from letting him know that they were there for him.

The morning dawned rainy and cooler than normal; the weather seemed to match Frank's mood. He was still silent and withdrawn, and the team again couldn't convince him to eat. 

Wanting to be alone, Frank finally went upstairs into his office.

"I hope we find this guy," said Jake. "We gotta make him pay for this."

"I hear ya," said Alex, sighing.

"Who the heck is that?" said Cody.

Everyone headed towards the window that Cody was standing at, to see a taxi pulling into the Nest.

When Alex saw who stepped out of it, she gasped. "Call Frank!"


	13. Guess Who!

Frank stood when he heard his team's frantic voices yelling for him. The thought that they had news to confirm his mother's death terrified him, and he ran down the stairs three at a time. When he got to the bottom, the sight that greeted him was the last one that he expected to see.

His mother was standing there, looking tired, her clothes were wet and wrinkled, but she was smiling.

Frank couldn't even speak. He ran forward and grabbed her, hugging her tightly. 

"Shh," Alanur soothed, automatically going into mother-mode. "I'm all right, Frank, he didn't hurt me, calm down," she pleaded, feeling his body shaking. 

Frank could feel his eyes welling with relieved tears, and he was unable to stop it. 

The team all watched, the girls teary-eyed themselves. 

Monica nudged them and gestured her head in the direction of the kitchen. Everyone followed her, giving Frank time alone with his mother. 

"Frank," said Alanur, growing concerned. "I'm _fine_." __

Frank still couldn't speak, holding onto her as if his life depended on it. 

Alanur started walking towards the couch, bringing Frank with her.

Frank exhaled shakily as they sat, burying his face in her shoulder. "I was sure you were dead," he said, barely more than a whisper. 

Alanur sighed, smoothing his hair. "I'm so sorry, Dear."

The team watched from the kitchen, unable to stop themselves. 

"Amazing," Alex whispered. "I can't believe she managed to escape!"

"How do you know Harris didn't let her go?" said Cody.

Monica shook her head. "He's not the type to release a victim. She somehow got away from him."

Alanur finally pulled out of the hug, studying her son. "Oh Frank," she said, touching his cheek. "You look terrible!"

Frank sighed, saying nothing.

Alanur took her son's hands, saddened at the evidence on his face of recent sleepless nights and poor nutrition. Noticing something odd, she looked down to see the bandage around his left hand. "What's this? What happened?"

"It's nothing," Frank said, wiping his eyes with his right hand. 

Alanur lifted his arm and pushed back the sleeve. "Nothing?" she exclaimed, when she saw the length of the bandage.

"_Nothing_," Frank repeated. "I burned myself with hot coffee, that's all." 

Looking back up at his face, she suddenly noticed the bruise on his cheekbone. "And that?" she asked, brushing the tip of her finger over it. 

"Courtesy of Jake," he told her, with a slight smile. At her look of shock, he added, "Believe me, it was what I needed at the time."

Alanur gave him a sad smile, and Frank hugged her again,

"Fatni-ik, 'umm," he whispered. 

"Kezalik, ibnee," she whispered back.

Frank suddenly heard a sniff, and opened his eyes to see his team watching from the kitchen. Giving them a mock glare, he motioned for them to come back in.

"How did you escape?" he asked his mother. "Where's Harris?"

Alanur sighed. "He had me tied up most of the time, but I played the part of a feeble old woman and he began to believe it."

"You, feeble?" Cody exclaimed, with a smile. "Never happen!"

Alanur smiled at him. "He finally left me untied, last night. I pretended to have severe arthritis and couldn't move. I waited for him to fall asleep, but he didn't until this morning. When he finally did, I took his gun and quietly sneaked out the door."

Frank's eyebrows shot up. "You took his gun?"

Alanur nodded, reaching into her purse—which everyone was surprised to see that she'd managed to hold onto—and took out the weapon, handing it to her son.

Monica and Alex shook their heads, in awe. 

"You're one in a million, Alanur," said Jake.

Alanur smiled at him, but then she whacked his arm. "What did my boy do that was bad enough for you to punch him for?"

"Forget it," said Frank. "You don't want to know. Right now, you have to tell us where Harris kept you, so we can get over there before he escapes."

Alanur nodded. She was afraid for her son, as any mother would be, but she knew that he did his job well, and she didn't want any other innocent people to suffer at Harris' hands. "We were in the woods on the other side of Lake Michigan. We needed to take a boat to get there."

Frank's eyebrows rose. "In a shed overlooking a cliff?"

Alanur nodded. "Yes…how did you know?"

Frank shook his head. "This isn't the first time a criminal has used that place." He stood. "I know exactly where it is. Jake, Alex, Cody…come with me. Monica, stay with my mother."

Monica nodded, knowing that someone needed to make sure that Alanur didn't follow after them or something.

"Let's go," said Frank, heading towards the door.

"Frank!"

Frank turned, as his mother jogged towards him. 

"Be careful," she said, hugging him again. 

Frank returned the squeeze. "I will. I just got you back, I won't let you lose _me_."

"That's my boy," Alanur said, smiling. 

HA! Bet no one expected Alanur to be the one in that taxi! Hey, she IS a Med-jai, after all! WOO HOO! ;) 

"Fatni-ik, 'umm," Egyptian Arabic for: "I missed you, Mom."

"Kezalik, ibnee," : "Likewise, my son."


	14. Finally, Some Real Action!

Arriving at the lake, they quickly unhitched the speedboat that the FBI had long ago supplied them with, for situations such as these. Getting it into the water, they quickly climbed aboard and sped across the lake. 

"Cody," said Frank, when they made it to the opposite shore. "You stay with the boat. Have it ready. If you see anything suspicious, let us know."

Cody nodded, handing out the earpieces. "Will do."

Jake and Alex left the boat and followed Frank through the woods, both of them wondering what kind of criminal Frank had faced in this location before.

They made it up an embankment, and Frank crouched behind some bushes, motioning for the other to do the same.

Alex and Jake obeyed, and looked to where Frank was pointing.

They'd found the shed.

Standing, they ran to the door, Frank motioning to Jake and Alex to stand on either side of it. 

They obeyed, guns at the ready, while Frank kicked the door in.

The three of them pointed their guns around the inside of the shed, but no one was there.

Frank muttered something under his breath, running back out. "Cody!" he said. "Harris is _not_ inside, be on the lookout. If he's still in the area, he might try to take the boat."

When Cody heard those words, he gulped. "Right," he said, looking around nervously. Picking up the gun he had sitting on the seat neat to him, he kept it in his hand, wishing that he were back at the Nest sitting at his computer. 

Frank, Jake, and Alex split up, searching through the woods. 

Frank went further towards the cliff. It wasn't as secluded as the woods, so he knew that it would be a good place to 'hide'; the average cop wouldn't bother to look there.

Surveying his surroundings, Frank knew that it was a possibility that Harris was already long gone, but he refused to accept that. Harris had done a terrible thing to his mother, and Frank wanted the criminal to suffer for it. 

The problem with Frank's thinking wasn't with his actual thoughts, but rather the fact that he _was_ thinking. His lost sleep over the past few days had served to make him less alert then normal, and he didn't notice movement behind himself until it was too late. 

Frank heard a sudden noise and turned just in time to avoid being pummeled by a huge rock. He didn't move fast enough, and was grazed down the side of his face, leaving a scrape.

Harris wasted no time in tackling Frank, throwing them both to the ground with the heavy thump. 

Frank's earpiece came loose, and it bounced off the criminal's chest, who picked it up and crushed it, violently throwing it behind them.

"So the mighty Frank Donovan is here to avenge his mother?" Harris snarled, punching him hard in the face.

Frank ignored the pain, punching him back and trying to throw the criminal off himself. 

Harris got off him voluntarily, scurrying over to another big rock, which he grabbed and threw towards Frank.

Frank saw it in time and threw his arm in front of his face, making the rock bounce off it. He suddenly realized that his gun was gone, having dropped from his hand when they'd fallen. He quickly looked around as he got to his feet, but didn't have much time before Harris slammed into him again. 

Trying to keep his footing, Frank slipped out of the criminal's grasp, tripping him. It backfired, for the criminal still had a grip on Frank's arm, and fell to the side rather than forward, knocking Frank off balance.

Frank's left knee landed on a rock and he grunted, kicking Harris away. 

The criminal had the strength of a madman and he reached forward, grabbing Frank's leg and starting to drag him towards the cliff.

Frank tried to pull himself out of his grasp, but it didn't work, as Harris continued to pull him along. Frank stuck out his other foot and tried to hook it around one of Harris' ankles, to make him trip. 

It worked, and Harris stumbled and fell to his knees, letting go of him.

Frank got to his feet, rushing Harris before he had a chance to recover.

Harris was forced to the ground, and found himself being choked.

"This…" said Frank. "Is for kidnapping and terrorizing my mother!" He squeezed Harris' throat hard, adrenaline and exhaustion clouding his judgment. Frank wasn't a cold-blooded killer, but right now his mind wasn't aware of that fact. 

Harris choked, trying to pry Frank's hands from his throat. Suddenly becoming aware that he was laying on something that felt like metal, he reached under himself.

Frank suddenly saw stars and crashed into the ground, pain flaring through his head. Before his vision cleared, he felt a hard kick in his side, and a loud laugh.

"I've beaten the cops for years," Harris said, kicking him again. "Time after time after time…"

Frank desperately tried to get to his feet, but every time he tried, he got kicked again. He saw that Harris had found his gun, and was pointing it at him, menacingly.

"Go ahead," Harris said. "Get up!"

Frank didn't move, trying to work out a strategy. Harris was standing too far away for Frank to be able to grab the gun from him.

"I said stand up!" Harris yelled. "Or I'll shoot you right now!"

Frank did as Harris told him, and was unprepared for the angry look on the criminal's face to turn into a look of glee.

Without warning, Harris lunged forward and pushed Frank backwards.

Frank tried to catch himself…but suddenly felt the ground underneath him disappear…

Harris had pushed him off the cliff.

Reaching out wildly, Frank tried to grab something to catch himself, and somehow managed to grab onto the edge. 

Harris laughed. "Wow, that was close, Donovan! Wonder how long you can hold on?"

Frank wondered that himself. His head was throbbing, he had aches all over his body and his burned arm and hand didn't enjoy holding up his entire body weight. 

Harris took advantage of Frank's burned arm, when he saw the bandage. He started kicking at it, trying to make Frank loose his grip…

********************

Jake and Alex walked through the woods, quietly searching for Harris. They were both startled when they heard a sudden yell.

"I said stand up! Or I'll shoot you right now!"

Alex turned, running back the way she'd come. "Jake! Frank!"

"Alex!" said Jake. "Where's Frank?"

"I don't know! Frank? Can you hear me?"

Of course they got no answer. Jake made it out of the woods first, shocked at what he saw before him.

Frank was dangling from the edge of the cliff, and Harris was kicking his arms in an attempt to make him fall.

Seeing the gun that Harris held, Jake wasted no time, bringing up his own gun and firing without hesitation. He was relieved when the bullet hit the criminal…but his relief turned to horror when Harris fell _forward_…knocking Frank from his precarious grasp.

*hides* I do believe that was a worse cliffhanger than making you all wonder who was in the taxi…oh, did I just say 'cliffhanger'? LOLOL! Pun intended! ;)


	15. SPLAT!

Frank knew that he was going down when he heard the gunshot. He tried to scoot over, to avoid being knocked off, but he couldn't do it fast enough, and felt his hands ripped away from the edge. 

Sooner than he thought, he crashed to the ground, landing on his stomach, the breath slammed from his lungs. The impact sent a searing, crushing pain through his chest, and he would've gasped at the agonizing pain if he'd had any air.

He heard a sound beside him, and realized that Harris was still alive. Opening his eyes, he tried to push himself up, but the pain was utterly excruciating and he collapsed back to the ground. 

"Frank!" he suddenly heard above his head. 

A laugh sounded, and he looked over at Harris, who was bleeding profusely from the bullet that'd gone into his back and lodged into a lung. Frank saw that he still had the gun in his hand, and he tried to push himself up again, but couldn't, gasping at the utter agony that any movement caused.

Harris laughed again, seeing Frank's struggle. "I…guess I didn't…win…this time…" he gasped out, his words gurgling from the blood filling his lungs. He stopped breathing, dying with his eyes open, still looking at Frank.

Closing his own eyes, Frank tried to take a deep breath, but the horrible pain wouldn't allow him. Something touched him suddenly, and he realized that Jake and Alex had come down the cliff.

"Frank! Talk to us!" said Alex, sounding frantic. "Where are you hurt?!"

_Everywhere…_"Something's…broken…" Frank tried to say, his words weak and pain-filled. "In my chest…not my ribs…"

Those words sent stabs of fear into Alex and Jake's stomachs. 

"What do you mean, Frank?" said Jake, afraid to touch him. "Where?"

Frank had a hard time figuring out exactly where the injury was, with the pain spreading. 

"Frank?" Alex said, when he didn't answer. 

Frank closed his eyes tightly, trying to stifle a groan when the pain intensified briefly.

"We gotta turn him over!" said Alex, sounding flustered.

"You know we can't!" said Jake. "That could make it worse!"

"Not in _this case!" Alex argued. "If something in his chest is broken, lying on it could cause it to puncture his lungs!"_

Jake saw the truth in her statement, but he was still hesitant, knowing that moving him could be disastrous—even deadly. "Frank?"

Frank opened his eyes.

"Does anything else feel broken? We might have to move you…"

Frank tried to close off his mind to the horrible chest pain, to see if anything else could be broken. Moving his legs, they only felt bruised from his fall, and he was thankfully able to move his arms, though pain shot down them from whatever he'd broken in his chest.

"Your back and neck?" Alex asked.

"Not broken," Frank gasped. 

Jake was still hesitant. "You gotta be sure, Frank! Does anything feel numb?"

"No…" Frank said, his voice sounding weaker. 

Alex and Jake gave each other fearful looks, knowing that moving him could result in paralyzation…or worse.  

Frank made up their minds for them, when he started to turn over himself.

"Frank!" they both gasped, reaching out to stop him. It was too late, so all they could do was help to set him onto his back as gently as possible, with Alex carefully supporting his neck. The fact that he'd been able to turn himself over—or start to, anyway—was a good sign though, and it made them feel a little better…

Until they saw the red stain on his shirt. 

Jake grabbed the material, ripping it open to display the wound. What they saw shocked them.

Frank had apparently broken his collarbone, and one of the edges had broken the skin…

They suddenly noticed the sound of people hurrying in their direction, and Cody suddenly peeked his head over the cliff. "Here they are!"

Alex and Jake moved over as Cody and the paramedics climbed down the 25-foot cliff. 

"Compound fracture of the collarbone," one medic told the other, opening his box of equipment. 

"Sir?" said the other man. "Can you hear me?"

Frank didn't answer, having lost consciousness.

"Unresponsive," the medic remarked, reaching into the box for a stethoscope. 

The team watched nervously, as the medics hooked up an IV and put a neck brace on Frank, checking his pupils and blood pressure.

"Does he have any other injuries that you know of?" one of the medics asked. 

Alex and Jake both shrugged. "We didn't get that far," said Jake. "And he didn't land on his back, he rolled over."

The medic winced at those words. "What happened to his arm?"

"Coffee burn," Alex told them.

The medics decided to leave that alone for now, as they carefully placed Frank on the backboard. 

The sound of a helicopter suddenly echoed through the air, and Cody watched as the chopper landed nearby. 

Two medics jumped out of it, bringing a stretcher with them. "What've we got?" they asked.

The ambulance medics quickly told them, rattling off Frank's blood pressure, pulse rate, and a-half-dozen other things as they lifted the backboard and placed it on the stretcher. 

"Go with them," Jake told Alex. "Cody and I will bring back the boat, grab Monica and Alanur, and meet you there."

Alex nodded, running after the medics as they whisked Frank away.


	16. Owie

Pacing in the waiting room, Alex looked up when the others ran in. She immediately frowned at the worry on Alanur's face.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked.

Alex shook her head. "Not yet. Don't worry; I'm sure he'll be fine. It's just a broken bone."

Alanur knew better than that. Jake and Cody had said the same thing, trying to reassure her, but she was a Med-jai…she'd seen many men suffer horrible injuries through her life, and knew that Frank's broken collarbone had been the only injury that they'd been able to _see_ at the time.

The more time that passed, the more worried they became, as they realized that the injury had to be worse than they thought. 

When the doctor came out, everyone jumped to their feet.

"How is he?" Alanur was the first to ask. 

"Lucky," the doctor answered. "We did surgery to put a metal casing on his collarbone, to hold the broken pieces together. Other than that, he has some cracked ribs and a hairline fracture in his right arm, as well as a concussion, inflicted by something other than his fall."

The team looked at each other, realizing that he'd probably been in a fight with Harris.

"He's pretty much covered with bruises," the doctor continued. "Some worse than others."

"He didn't injure his neck or spine in any way?" Alanur asked.

The doctor shook his head. "He might have a bit of whiplash in his neck from the impact, but he didn't break anything there."

Alanur sighed with relief, closing her eyes.

"Our main worry right now is the head injury," said the doctor. "Even though it isn't too serious, the anesthesia from the surgery could prolong his unconsciousness."

Everyone shot each other worried looks.

"We kept the anesthesia to a minimum," the doctor said. "But head injuries are tricky."

"When can we see him?" Alanur asked. 

"He's in recovery right now," said the doctor. "In the ICU. They're keeping a close eye on him because of the anesthesia. As soon as they get him settled in a room, someone will come out to get you." He looked at all their nervous faces. "He should be fine, if the anesthesia didn't cause any additional harm. His injuries are painful, but not deadly."

Alanur nodded, giving him a slight smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the doctor said, leaving the room.

Alex sighed as she sat down. This was the part she hated most: waiting.

"I'm sure the doctor's right," Monica told Alanur. "He'll be fine."

Alanur nodded, appreciating her attempt to comfort her. "Yes…my son has a hard head."

The unexpected comment brought smiles to everyone's faces.

********************

"Frank? Please wake up, ibnee!"

The voice got through to Frank's mind suddenly, and he realized that he'd been awake for a few minutes. Opening his eyes, he was relieved to see his mother's face above him.

Alanur smiled, stroking his face. "How do you feel?"

Frank blinked his eyes. "You're alive," he said, instead of answering. "I thought it was a dream." He sounded sluggish, and closed his eyes again, reopening them slowly. 

The team stood by quietly, letting Alanur have the moment. 

"Yes," Alanur said. "I'm alive, Dear, you're not dreaming." She smiled, as Frank blinked sleepily. "Rest," she told him. "We'll still be here when you awake."

Frank smiled before drifting off to sleep. 

********************

Frank's stay in the hospital wasn't a long one. After regaining consciousness that day, he'd regained coherency quickly and was let go after only a few days, when the doctors were sure that the anesthesia hadn't complicated his head injury. 

"Ready to go home?"

Frank nodded at his mother, leaning on his left arm to carefully push himself up in the bed. He succeeded in hiding a wince, watching as his mother place a pile of clothes beside him. He quirked an eyebrow at her when she remained standing where she was.

"What?" she asked.

"I have to get dressed," he said scooting to the side of the bed.

Alanur nodded. "I know."

Frank stopped, frowning. "You're just going to stand there?"

Alanur tried to keep a straight face. "You'll need help, ibnee."

Frank looked mortified. "No I don't."

Alanur was enjoying Frank's embarrassment, as she knew that he had as much manly pride as her father. "Be sensible, Frank."

"If I need help I'll call you," he stubbornly insisted, having no intentions on keeping his word.

Alanur nodded, still holding back a laugh. "All right." She headed for the door, but paused after opening it. "Just remember, dear, that I changed your diapers!" Her face split into a wide smile, and she quickly exited.

Frank shook his head at the sound of her laughing. Sighing, he threw a disgusted look at his right arm, which was immobilized in something more uncomfortable than a mere sling. The contraption crossed behind his back, keeping his posture straight in an effort to be sure that his collarbone healed correctly. 

Reaching to the pile of clothes, he picked up the pair of pants and awkwardly got into them. Thankfully, he'd had practice at dressing with one arm many times in the past.

"Are you decent?" he suddenly heard through the door.

Frank rolled his eyes at her chuckle. "Yes."

Opening the door, Alanur came back in and picked up the shirt.

Frank sat on the bed, knowing that he had no choice but to submit. 

Alanur was thankfully silent as she helped him get the shirt on, wordlessly doing the buttons for him. 

Despite Frank's male pride not wanting help, a joy bubbled up inside him at the fact that she _was_ here. 

Alanur seemed to sense his thoughts and she smiled at him before gathering him in her arms in a gentle hug. 

Frank hugged her back, not even caring that it increased his pain.


	17. Full House

Alanur held onto Frank's previously coffee-burned arm as they left the hospital, ever protective of her son. "I suppose that you're wondering where your team is."

Frank nodded, as they walked to his car and got in it.

"I lied to them."

Frank frowned, looking at her as she started the car.

"I told them not to come to the hospital yet because you were still asleep and I'd let them know when you woke up," she smiled as she pulled out of the parking lot. "I wanted some time alone with my son."

Frank smiled back at her. 

The trip back to Frank's place was short, with Alanur telling Frank some wacky jokes that Cody had told her. Frank had to admit that they were funny, even though laughing hurt his mending collarbone.

When they reached Frank's door, Alanur opened it and they stepped inside.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"No," Frank told her, heading for the couch.

She followed him and they sat down, Alanur watching her son intently. "I know what you're thinking," she suddenly said.

Frank looked at her.

"That man didn't hurt me," she told him. "He didn't even touch me, after tying me up."

Frank sighed inwardly, relieved. 

"Despite his gun, I was never in any real danger," she said. "I know that sounds ridiculous, but he never made any real threat towards me."

_Probably because of your age, _Frank thought. _You weren't a source of entertainment for him._

A hand touched his face, and he turned to look at his mother.

"Do not dwell on it, ibnee," she said. "There is no point! I am alive and well."

Frank gave her a smile.

"Now," said Alanur, looking around the living room. "What can we find to occupy ourselves with before your team gets wind of my fabrication…"

********************

"You knew all along?"

Monica nodded guiltily. "Alanur told me that she wanted some time alone with her son. There's no crime in that."

"Can't blame her," said Alex. "She—and Frank—just went through a terrible crisis."

Everyone was silent as they walked to Frank's door and knocked.

"Come in!" Alanur called.

Her voice had laughter in it, and Jake opened the door to see something he didn't expect.

Frank was sitting on the couch, and Alanur was in a chair on the other side of the coffee table, which contained a stack of playing cards and a pile of poker chips.

Frank was concentrating on his cards and didn't look up. 

Everyone was silent, seeing that they appeared to be at a crucial point in their game. They all wondered how Frank was managing to play with only one functional arm. 

"I call," said Frank.

At that, Alanur laid down her cards...face down, and rose from her seat. "Good morning," she said to the team. "Would you like a drink, Dear?" she asked Frank.

Frank nodded. 

"Anyone else?" she asked.

The team shook their heads. "We just had breakfast."

"All right," she said, going into the kitchen.

"How you feeling, Frank?" Alex asked, looking down at him.

"Not too bad, considering," Frank told her. 

"Yeah, _considering_ he's probably still full of hospital painkillers," Cody whispered to Jake. He suddenly saw Alanur's cards, and bent down to pick them up. "You winning?" he said to Frank.

Frank shot a look at him, and Cody wisely straightened up without touching the cards. 

Alanur came back then, and set two glasses on the coffee table.

"Chocolate milk?" said Monica.

Frank looked up at his team, wincing inwardly. 

"Ovaltine," Alanur said, taking her glass and drinking half of it down.

The team members couldn't help but chuckle. Alanur was a woman that they all loved, and they greatly enjoyed her spunk. 

"I guess we'll be going," said Monica, catching a look from Alanur. "Let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks," said Frank. "We'll be fine."

Cody nudged Alanur's arm. "Let us know who wins."

Alanur smiled, wiggling her eyebrows as if to name herself the winner.

Crossing to the door, the team heard Alanur ask, "Where were we?"

"I called," Frank said.

"Ah, yes," Alanur replied.

Closing the door behind them, they stopped at the sound of Alanur's laugh. "Beat _that_!"

"Looks like we know who won!" said Cody.

THE END!

LOLOL I know, funny ending. Thanks SO MUCH for all the reviews, everyone! Next, I'm trying my hand at a LOTR story! *gasp* I admit, I never thought I'd end up in that fandom, and I have Karri and Ruse to thank for pulling me into it! :)


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